Systems and methods for configuring carriers using overlapping sets of candidate numerologies

ABSTRACT

It is possible to reduce the implementation complexity associated with dynamic carrier configuration by defining overlapping sets of candidate numerologies for at least some carriers in the network. A common numerology is included in sets of candidate numerologies pre-associated with two different carriers. This reduces the amount of numerologies that need to be supported by the corresponding user equipments (UEs) and base stations, which in turn reduces the complexity of those devices, e.g., less complex hardware, protocol stacks, and software, lower storage and processing requirements, etc. The common numerology specifies a common subset of physical layer parameters for both carriers. In one example, the common numerology specifies the same sub-carrier frequency spacing and symbol duration for both carriers. The common numerology may further specify the same cyclic prefix (CP) length for symbols communicated over both carriers.

This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/245,710, filed on Oct. 23, 2015 and entitled “Systems and Methodsfor Configuring Carriers Using Overlapping Sets of CandidateNumerologies,” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein as ifreproduced in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to wireless communications, and, inparticular embodiments, to systems and methods for configuring carriersusing overlapping sets of candidate numerologies.

BACKGROUND

Next-generation wireless networks will need to support diverse traffictypes (e.g., voice, data, mobile-gaming), while providing highthroughput rates over various, oftentimes changing, channel conditions.To achieve this, network devices may need to have the capability toconfigure different physical layer parameters on different carriers inan efficient, yet scalable, fashion. Accordingly, techniques and schemesfor efficiently configuring physical layer parameters on multiplecarriers are desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Technical advantages are generally achieved by embodiments of thisdisclosure which describe systems and methods for configuring carriersusing overlapping sets of candidate numerologies.

In accordance with an embodiment, a method for configuring numerologieson carriers is provided. In this example, the method includes selectinga numerology from a first set of numerologies pre-associated with afirst carrier and a numerology from a second set of numerologiespre-associated with a second carrier. At least one of the numerologiesin both the first set of numerologies and the second set of numerologiesinclude a common subset of physical layer parameters for communicatingover the first carrier and the second carrier. The method furtherincludes communicating a first signal over the first carrier accordingto the selected numerology from the first set of numerologies and asecond signal over the second carrier according to the selectednumerology from the second set of numerologies. An apparatus forperforming this method is also provided.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method for configuring a commonnumerology on different carriers is provided. In this example, themethod includes selecting a first numerology from a first set ofnumerologies pre-associated with a first carrier, and selecting a secondnumerology from a second set of numerologies pre-associated with asecond carrier. Both the first numerology and the second numerologyincluding a common subset of physical layer parameter. The methodfurther includes communicating a first signal over the first carrieraccording to the first numerology and a second signal over the secondcarrier according to the second numerology. An apparatus for performingthis method is also provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an embodiment wireless network;

FIG. 2 is a protocol diagram of an embodiment communication sequence forconfiguring carriers using overlapping sets of candidate numerologies;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an embodiment method for configuring carriersusing overlapping sets of candidate numerologies;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of another embodiment method for configuringcarriers using overlapping sets of candidate numerologies;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an embodiment processing system; and

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an embodiment transceiver.

Corresponding numerals and symbols in the different figures generallyrefer to corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated. The figures aredrawn to clearly illustrate the relevant aspects of the embodiments andare not necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The making and using of embodiments of this disclosure are discussed indetail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the presentinvention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can beembodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to makeand use the invention, and do not limit the scope of the invention.

The subset of physical layer parameters used to communicate a signalover a carrier are collectively referred to as the “numerology” of thecarrier, and may include a combination, or subset, of a transmissiontime interval (TTI) used to transmit the signal over the carrier, asymbol duration of symbols transmitted over the carrier, a cyclic prefix(CP) length of symbols transmitted over the carrier, and a sub-carrierspacing between sub-carrier frequencies over which the signal istransmitted. Different numerologies may be pre-associated with carrierswith different center frequency ranges.

Moreover, multiple candidate numerologies may be pre-associated witheach carrier to achieve improved spectrum flexibility such that a givencarrier can, for example, support different traffic types, be assignedto mobile devices traveling at different speeds, efficiently communicatedata over different channel conditions, and/or be used for differenttransmission modes.

To support dynamic carrier configuration, a serving base station, orcontroller, may need to communicate control signaling to served UEs tonotify the UEs of their assigned carriers, as well as to indicate whichof the candidate numerologies pre-associated with that carrier will beused to communicate the data signal. Conventional approaches definedifferent, non-overlapping, sets of candidate numerologies for eachcarrier. In one example, a conventional approach defines a set of threenumerologies based on 3.75 kilohertz (kHz), 7.5 kHz, and 15 kHzsub-carrier spacings for a 1 GHz carrier, and a set of threenumerologies on 30 kHz, 60 kHz, and 90 kHz sub-carrier spacings for a 5GHz carrier. Defining separate, mutually exclusive, sets of candidatenumerologies for each carrier may significantly increase the number ofnumerologies that need to be supported by the UEs and/or base stations,which increases the implementation complexity associated with dynamiccarrier configuration.

Embodiments provided herein reduce the implementation complexityassociated with dynamic carrier configuration by defining overlappingsets of candidate numerologies for at least some carriers in thenetwork. More specifically, a common numerology is included in sets ofnumerologies pre-associated with two different carriers. This numerologyoverlap reduces the total number of numerologies that need to besupported by the UEs and/or base stations, which in turn reduces thecomplexity of those devices by allowing them to be designed with lesscomplex hardware, protocol stacks, and/or software as well as with lowerstorage and processing requirements Reducing the total number ofnumerologies may reduce overhead because fewer control signaling bitswould need to be transmitted to configure numerologies on the carriers.The common numerology specifies a common subset of physical layerparameters for both carriers. In one example, the common numerologyspecifies the same sub-carrier frequency spacing and symbol duration forboth carriers. The common numerology may further specify the same cyclicprefix (CP) length for symbols communicated over both carriers. In someembodiments, the common numerology specifies the same TTI for signalscommunicated over both carriers. In other embodiments, the commonnumerology does not specify a TTI for the carriers, in which casesignals communicated over the carriers in accordance with the commonnumerology may have different TTIs configured independently from thecommon numerology. In some embodiments, the base station sends explicitsignaling instructions to the UEs that instruct the UEs to transmit orreceive wireless signals over the carriers based on the selectednumerologies. In other embodiments, the UEs infer the selectednumerologies based on other signaling from the base station, e.g., basedon a service or transmission mode, re-transmission mode, etc. These andother inventive aspects are described in greater detail below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a wireless network 100 for communicating data.The wireless network 100 includes a base station 110 having a coveragearea 101, a plurality of UEs 120, and a backhaul network 130. As shown,the base station 110 establishes uplink (dashed line) and/or downlink(dotted line) connections with the UEs 120, which serve to carry datafrom the UEs 120 to the base station 110 and vice-versa. Data carriedover the uplink/downlink connections may include data communicatedbetween the UEs 120, as well as data communicated to/from a remote-end(not shown) by way of the backhaul network 130. As used herein, the term“base station” refers to any component (or collection of components)configured to provide wireless access to a network, such as an evolvedNodeB (eNB), a macro-cell, a femtocell, a Wi-Fi access point (AP), orother wirelessly enabled devices. Base stations may provide wirelessaccess in accordance with one or more wireless communication protocols,e.g., long term evolution (LTE), LTE advanced (LTE-A), High Speed PacketAccess (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. As used herein, the term “userequipment (UE)” refers to any component (or collection of components)capable of establishing a wireless connection with a base station. Theterms “UE,” “wireless device,” and “mobile station (STA)” are usedinterchangeably throughout this disclosure. In some embodiments, thenetwork 100 may comprise various other wireless devices, such as relays,low power nodes, etc.

Embodiments of this disclosure utilize overlapping numerologies toreduce the overhead and implementation complexity associated withdynamic carrier configuration.

FIG. 2 is a protocol diagram of an embodiment communication sequence 200for dynamically configuring carriers using overlapping sets of candidatenumerologies. In this example, a base station 210 assigns UEs 221, 222,223 different spectrum resources. In particular, the UE 221 is assigneda low-frequency carrier, the UE 222 is assigned a mid-frequency carrier,and the UE 223 is assigned a high-frequency carrier. The low-frequencycarrier has a lower center frequency than the mid-frequency carrier, andthe mid-frequency carrier has a lower center frequency than the highfrequency carrier.

The base station 210 also sends indicator messages 211, 212, 213 to theUEs 221, 222, 223 (respectively) to notify the UEs 211, 212, 213 whichnumerology will be configured over their assigned carrier. The indicatormessages 211, 212, 213 may be communicated over the assigned carriersusing, for example, a default numerology. Alternatively, the assignedcarriers may be communicated to the UEs 211, 212, 213 via higher ordersignaling (e.g., radio resource control (RRC) signaling) or over adefault/access carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the indicatormessages 211, 212, 213 also notify the UEs 211, 212, 213 which carrierthey have been assigned. In other embodiments, the carrier assignmentsare communicated to the UEs 211, 212, 213 using separate signaling. Asyet another alternative, the numerologies may be implicitly signaled tothe UE based on features of physical layer signals received from thebase station 210. For example, numerologies may be determined based on atype and/or number of synchronization signals in a physical layersignal, a spreading sequence used to communicate the physical layersignal, or a type or number of reference signals (e.g., demodulationreference signals, cell-specific reference signals, user specificreference signals) in the physical layer signal. As yet anotheralternative, the numerologies may be determined via blind detection. Forexample, the UEs may try to transmit or receive a signal over thecarrier based on different numerologies until one or more criteria issatisfied, e.g., a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) check verifies that asignal was correctly received according to a candidate numerology.

As demonstrated by the table 290, each of the three carriers arepre-associated with two numerologies. In particular, the low-frequencycarrier is pre-associated with numerologies A and B, the mid-frequencycarrier is pre-associated with numerologies B and C, and thehigh-frequency carrier is pre-associated with numerologies C and D.Notably, the numerology B can be configured on both the low-frequencycarrier and the mid-frequency carrier, and the numerology C can beconfigured on both the mid-frequency carrier and the high-frequencycarrier. This numerology overlap reduce the total number of numerologiesthat need to be supported by the UE and/or eNB, which in turn reducesthe complexity of those devices, e.g., less complex hardware, protocolstacks, and software, lower storage and processing requirements, etc.

It should be appreciated that the overlapping numerology configurationin table 290 is one example of the many possible embodiment overlappingnumerology configurations, and that different embodiment overlappingnumerology configurations may provide varying levels of complexityreduction. It should also be appreciated that embodiment overlappingnumerology configurations may pre-associate different numbers ofnumerologies with different numbers of carriers (e.g., two carriers,four carriers, five carriers, etc.), as well provide varying degrees ofnumerology overlap between carriers. For example, an embodimentnumerology configuration may pre-associate two or more commonnumerologies between two or more adjacent carriers. It should also beappreciated that common numerologies may be pre-associated withnon-adjacent carriers.

Table 1 lists candidate numerologies for two different ranges of carriercenter frequencies. In this example, a set of three candidatenumerologies based on 3.75 kHz, 7.5 kHz, and 15 kHz sub-carrier spacingsare pre-associated with carriers with center frequencies between 0.6 GHzand 3 GHz, and a set of three candidate numerologies based on 15 kHz, 30kHz, and 60 kHz sub-carrier spacings are pre-associated with carrierswith center frequencies between 3 GHz and 6 GHz. The candidatenumerology based on the 15 kHz sub-carrier spacing is common to bothsets of candidate numerologies pre-associated with the respectivecarrier ranges listed in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Center 0.6~3 GHz 3~6 GHz Frequency SC Spacing 3.75 7.5 15 15 3060 (kHz) Symbol 266.67 133.33 66.67 66.67 33.33 16.67 Duration (μs)Symbols per 7(3/4) 7(3/4) 7(3/4) 7(3/4) 7 (3/4) 7 (3/4) TTI CP length16.67/20.83 8.33/10.42 4.17/5.21 4.17/5.21 2.08/2.60 1.04/1.30 (μs) CPoverhead 6.67% 6.67% 6.67% 6.67% 6.67% 6.67% TTI Length 2 1 0.5 0.5 0.250.125 (ms)

Table 2 lists candidate numerologies for three different ranges ofcarrier center frequencies. In this example, a set of three candidatenumerologies based on 3.75 kHz, 7.5 kHz, and 15 kHz sub-carrier spacingsare pre-associated with carriers with a center frequency between 0.6 GHzand 2 GHz, a set of two candidate numerologies based on 15 kHz and 30kHz sub-carrier spacings are pre-associated with carriers with a centerfrequency between 2 GHz and 4 GHz, and a set of two candidatenumerologies based on 30 kHz and 60 kHz sub-carrier spacings arepre-associated with carriers with center frequencies between 4 GHz and 6GHz. The candidate numerology based on the 15 kHz sub-carrier spacing iscommon to the set of candidate numerologies pre-associated with carrierswith center frequencies between 0.6 GHz and 2 GHz and the set ofcandidate numerologies pre-associated with carriers with centerfrequencies between 2 GHz and 4 GHz. Similarly, the candidate numerologybased on the 30 kHz sub-carrier spacing is common to the set ofcandidate numerologies pre-associated with carriers with centerfrequencies between 2 GHz and 4 GHz and the set of candidatenumerologies pre-associated with carriers with center frequenciesbetween 4 GHz and 6 GHz.

TABLE 2 Center 0.6~2 GHz 2~4 GHz 4~6 GHz Frequency SC Spacing 3.75 7.515 15 30 30 60 (kHz) Symbol 266.67 133.33 66.67 66.67 33.33 33.33 16.67Duration (μs) Symbols per 7(3/4) 7(3/4) 7(3/4) 7(3/4) 7 (3/4) 7 (3/4) 7(3/4) TTI CP length 16.67/20.83 8.33/10.42 4.17/5.21 4.17/5.21 2.08/2.602.08/2.60 1.04/1.30 (μs) CP overhead 6.67% 6.67% 6.67% 6.67% 6.67% 6.67%6.67% TTI Length 2 1 0.5 0.5 0.25 0.25 0.125 (ms)

Table 3 lists candidate numerologies for three different ranges ofcarrier center frequencies. In this example, a set of three candidatenumerologies based on 3.75 kHz, 7.5 kHz, and 15 kHz sub-carrier spacingsare pre-associated with carriers with a center frequency between 0.6 GHzand 3 GHz, a set of two candidate numerologies based on 15 kHz and 30kHz sub-carrier spacings are pre-associated with carriers with a centerfrequency between 3 GHz and 6 GHz, and a set of two candidatenumerologies based on 30 kHz and 60 kHz sub-carrier spacings arepre-associated with carriers with a center frequency between 6 GHz and60 GHz. The candidate numerology based on the 15 kHz sub-carrier spacingis common to the set of candidate numerologies pre-associated withcarriers with center frequencies between 0.6 GHz and 3 GHz and the setof candidate numerologies pre-associated with carriers with centerfrequencies between 3 GHz and 6 GHz. Similarly, the candidate numerologybased on the 30 kHz sub-carrier spacing is common to the set ofcandidate numerologies pre-associated with carriers with centerfrequencies between 3 GHz and 6 GHz and the set of candidatenumerologies pre-associated with carriers with center frequenciesbetween 6 GHz and 60 GHz.

TABLE 3 Center 0.6~3 GHz 3~6 GHz 6~60 GHz Frequency SC Spacing 3.75 7.515 15 30 30 60 (kHz) Symbol 266.67 133.33 66.67 66.67 33.33 33.33 16.67Duration (μs) Symbols per 7(3/4) 7(3/4) 7(3/4) 7(3/4) 7 (3/4) 7 (3/4) 7(3/4) TTI CP length 16.67/20.83 8.33/10.42 4.17/5.21 4.17/5.21 2.08/2.602.08/2.60 1.04/1.30 (μs) CP overhead 6.67% 6.67% 6.67% 6.67% 6.67% 6.67%6.67% TTI Length 2 1 0.5 0.5 0.25 0.25 0.125 (ms)

It should be appreciated that the overlapping sets of candidatenumerologies pre-associated with carrier center frequency ranges listedin Tables 1-3 are provided as examples, and that other embodiments mayuse different overlapping sets of candidate numerologies for thosecarrier center frequency ranges, or for other carrier center frequencyranges.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an embodiment method 300 for configuringcarriers using overlapping sets of candidate numerologies, as may beperformed by a network device. At step 310, the network device selectsnumerologies from two or more sets of overlapping numerologiespre-associated with different carriers. The numerologies may be selectedbased on one or more criteria, such as traffic characteristics of datacommunicated over the carriers, transmission modes used to communicatedata over the carriers (e.g., single transmit point (TP) transmission,multi TP transmission), channel characteristics of wireless links usedto transport data communicated over the carriers, and/or mobility speedsof UEs scheduled to communicate data over the carriers. Trafficcharacteristics used to select the numerology may include anycharacteristic associated with a traffic flow communicated over thecarrier, such as a quality of service (QoS) requirement of the trafficflow (e.g., latency, packet loss rate), an average packet size in thetraffic flow, a traffic type associated with the traffic flow, and anamount of data (e.g., number of bits) carried in the traffic flow.Channel characteristics used to select the numerology may include anycharacteristic associated with a wireless link used to transport dataover the carrier, such as a multipath delay, path loss, or channelfading characteristic of the wireless link.

At step 320, the network device concurrently communicates over the firstcarrier according to the selected numerology from the first set ofnumerologies and over the second carrier according to the selectednumerology from the second set of numerologies. In some embodiments, thenetwork device sends one or more instructions to one or more UEs. Theinstructions instruct the UEs to transmit or receive wireless signalsover the carriers based on the selected numerologies. The network devicemay send different instructions to UEs scheduled to transmit or receivedata over different carriers. Alternatively, the network device may sendthe same instruction to each of the one or more UEs. In one embodiment,a single UE is scheduled to transmit and/or receive data over multiplecarriers. In that embodiment, the network device may communicate thesame instruction, or different instructions, to the single UE.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an embodiment method 400 for configuring anoverlapping numerology on two carriers, as may be performed by a networkdevice. At step 410, the network device selects a first numerology froma first set of numerologies pre-associated with a first carrier. At step420, the network device selects a second numerology from a second set ofnumerologies pre-associated with a second carrier. The first numerologyand the second numerology include the same subset of physical layerparameters as one another. At step 430, the network device concurrentlycommunicates over the first carrier according to the first numerologyand over the second carrier according to the second numerology. In someembodiments, the network device also sends at least one instruction toone or more UEs. The at least one instruction instructs the one or moreUEs to send or receive wireless signals over the first carrier inaccordance with the first numerology and over the second carrier inaccordance with the second numerology.

The two or more sets of overlapping numerologies may include a first setof numerologies pre-associated with a first carrier and a second set ofnumerologies pre-associated with a second carrier. The first set ofnumerologies and the second set of numerologies include at least onecommon numerology specifying the same subset of physical layerparameters for both the first carrier and the second carrier. The commonnumerology may specify the same sub-carrier frequency spacing and symbolduration for the first carrier and the second carrier. The commonnumerology may further specify the same cyclic prefix (CP) length forsymbols communicated over the first carrier and the second carrier. Insome embodiments, the common numerology specifies the same TTI for thefirst carrier and the second carrier. In other embodiments, the commonnumerology does not specify a TTI for the carriers, in which casesignals communicated over the carrier in accordance with the commonnumerology may have different TTIs. In some embodiments, the commonnumerology further specifies the number of symbols per TTI for the firstcarrier and the second carrier. In some embodiments, the commonnumerology further specifies the CP overhead for the first carrier andthe second carrier. In some embodiments, the common numerology isselected for the first carrier and the second carrier. In suchembodiments, the same subset of physical layer parameters is used tocommunicate signals over the first carrier and the second carrier. Inother embodiments, other numerologies are selected for the first carrierand/or the second carrier, in which case different sets of physicallayer parameters are used to communicate signals over the respectivecarriers.

In some embodiments, the two or more sets of overlapping numerologiesmay further include a third set of numerologies pre-associated with athird carrier, with the center frequency of the second carrier beingin-between the center frequencies of the first carrier and the thirdcarrier. The third set of numerologies may overlap with the second setof numerologies such that another common numerology is included in boththe second and third sets of numerologies. Examples of such anembodiment are listed in Tables 2 and 3.

The instructions sent to the one or more UEs may comprise an indicatorthat identifies which carrier has been selected, as well as an indicatorthat identifies which numerology has been selected. The indicator thatidentifies which numerology has been selected may include one or morebits in a control signaling message/packet. The overlapping numerologiesmay be represented by a fewer number of bits than non-overlappingnumerologies having equivalent numbers of candidate numerologies foreach carrier, because the same value can be used to represent the commonnumerology for each corresponding carrier.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an embodiment processing system 500 forperforming methods described herein, which may be installed in a hostdevice. As shown, the processing system 500 includes a processor 504, amemory 506, and interfaces 510-514, which may (or may not) be arrangedas shown in FIG. 5. The processor 504 may be any component or collectionof components adapted to perform computations and/or other processingrelated tasks, and the memory 506 may be any component or collection ofcomponents adapted to store programming and/or instructions forexecution by the processor 504. In an embodiment, the memory 506includes a non-transitory computer readable medium. The interfaces 510,512, 514 may be any component or collection of components that allow theprocessing system 500 to communicate with other devices/componentsand/or a user. For example, one or more of the interfaces 510, 512, 514may be adapted to communicate data, control, or management messages fromthe processor 504 to applications installed on the host device and/or aremote device. As another example, one or more of the interfaces 510,512, 514 may be adapted to allow a user or user device (e.g., personalcomputer (PC), etc.) to interact/communicate with the processing system500. The processing system 500 may include additional components notdepicted in FIG. 5, such as long term storage (e.g., non-volatilememory, etc.).

In some embodiments, the processing system 500 is included in a networkdevice that is accessing, or part otherwise of, a telecommunicationsnetwork. In one example, the processing system 500 is in a network-sidedevice in a wireless or wireline telecommunications network, such as abase station, a relay station, a scheduler, a controller, a gateway, arouter, an applications server, or any other device in thetelecommunications network. In other embodiments, the processing system500 is in a user-side wireless device accessing a wireless or wirelinetelecommunications network, such as a mobile station, a user equipment(UE), a personal computer (PC), a tablet, a wearable communicationsdevice (e.g., a smartwatch, etc.), or any other device adapted to accessa telecommunications network.

In some embodiments, one or more of the interfaces 510, 512, 514connects the processing system 500 to a transceiver adapted to transmitand receive signaling over the telecommunications network. FIG. 6 is ablock diagram of a transceiver 600 adapted to transmit and receivesignaling over a telecommunications network. The transceiver 600 may beinstalled in a host device. As shown, the transceiver 600 comprises anetwork-side interface 602, a coupler 604, a transmitter 606, a receiver608, a signal processor 610, and a device-side interface 612. Thenetwork-side interface 602 may include any component or collection ofcomponents adapted to transmit or receive signaling over a wireless orwireline telecommunications network. The coupler 604 may include anycomponent or collection of components adapted to facilitatebi-directional communication over the network-side interface 602. Thetransmitter 606 may include any component or collection of components(e.g., up-converter, power amplifier, etc.) adapted to convert abaseband signal into a modulated carrier signal suitable fortransmission over the network-side interface 602. The receiver 608 mayinclude any component or collection of components (e.g., down-converter,low noise amplifier, etc.) adapted to convert a carrier signal receivedover the network-side interface 602 into a baseband signal. The signalprocessor 610 may include any component or collection of componentsadapted to convert a baseband signal into a data signal suitable forcommunication over the device-side interface(s) 612, or vice-versa. Thedevice-side interface(s) 612 may include any component or collection ofcomponents adapted to communicate data-signals between the signalprocessor 610 and components within the host device (e.g., theprocessing system 500, local area network (LAN) ports, etc.).

The transceiver 600 may transmit and receive signaling over any type ofcommunications medium. In some embodiments, the transceiver 600transmits and receives signaling over a wireless medium. For example,the transceiver 600 may be a wireless transceiver adapted to communicatein accordance with a wireless telecommunications protocol, such as acellular protocol (e.g., long-term evolution (LTE), etc.), a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi, etc.), or any othertype of wireless protocol (e.g., Bluetooth, near field communication(NFC), etc.). In such embodiments, the network-side interface 602comprises one or more antenna/radiating elements. For example, thenetwork-side interface 602 may include a single antenna, multipleseparate antennas, or a multi-antenna array configured for multi-layercommunication, e.g., single input multiple output (SIMO), multiple inputsingle output (MISO), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), etc. Inother embodiments, the transceiver 500 transmits and receives signalingover a wireline medium, e.g., twisted-pair cable, coaxial cable, opticalfiber, etc. Specific processing systems and/or transceivers may utilizeall of the components shown, or only a subset of the components, andlevels of integration may vary from device to device.

Although this invention has been described with reference toillustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to beconstrued in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations ofthe illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of theinvention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon referenceto the description. It is therefore intended that the appended claimsencompass any such modifications or embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by an apparatus,a first indication identifying a first numerology of a first set ofnumerologies, wherein the first set of numerologies are predefined witha first range of carrier frequencies, wherein the first set ofnumerologies include the first numerology and a second numerologydifferent from the first numerology, wherein the second numerologyincludes a same sub-carrier spacing, a same symbol duration, and a samecyclic prefix (CP) length as a third numerology of a second set ofnumerologies, wherein the second set of numerologies are predefined witha second range of carrier frequencies different from the first range ofcarrier frequencies, and wherein the second set of numerologies furtherinclude a fourth numerology, the fourth numerology being different fromthe first numerology and different from the second numerology; andcommunicating, by the apparatus, a signal based on the first numerology.2. The method of claim 1, the first range of carrier frequencies beingfor a first carrier, and the first indication identifying the firstnumerology for the first carrier.
 3. The method of claim 2, the methodfurther comprising: receiving, by the apparatus, a second indicationidentifying the second numerology for a second carrier, wherein theapparatus is a user equipment (UE).
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein afirst sub-carrier spacing of the first numerology is 30 kHz, and asecond sub-carrier spacing of the second numerology is 60 kHz.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the first indication explicitly indicates avalue of the first sub-carrier spacing of the first numerology.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, the first indication identifying a first transmissiontime interval (TTI) length of the first numerology.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the first TTI length is one of 3, 4, or 7 symbols.
 8. Amethod comprising: transmitting, by a base station, a first indicationidentifying a first numerology of a first set of numerologies, whereinthe first set of numerologies are predefined with a first range ofcarrier frequencies, wherein the first set of numerologies include thefirst numerology and a second numerology different from the firstnumerology, wherein the second numerology includes a same sub-carrierspacing, a same symbol duration, and a same cyclic prefix (CP) length asa third numerology of a second set of numerologies, wherein the secondset of numerologies are predefined with a second range of carrierfrequencies different from the first range of carrier frequencies, andwherein the second set of numerologies further include a fourthnumerology, the fourth numerology being different from the firstnumerology and different from the second numerology; and communicating,by the base station, a signal based on the first numerology.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, the first range of carrier frequencies being for afirst carrier, and the first indication identifying the first numerologyfor the first carrier.
 10. The method of claim 9, the method furthercomprising: transmitting, by the base station to a user equipment (UE),a second indication identifying the second numerology for a secondcarrier.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein a first sub-carrier spacingof the first numerology is 30 kHz, and a second sub-carrier spacing ofthe second numerology is 60 kHz.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein thefirst indication explicitly indicates a value of the first sub-carrierspacing of the first numerology.
 13. The method of claim 8, the firstindication identifying a first transmission time interval (TTI) lengthof the first numerology.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the firstTTI length is one of 3, 4, or 7 symbols.
 15. An apparatus comprising: atleast one processor; and a computer readable storage medium storingprogramming for execution by the at least one processor, the programmingincluding instructions to: receive a first indication identifying afirst numerology of a first set of numerologies, wherein the first setof numerologies are predefined with a first range of carrierfrequencies, wherein the first set of numerologies include the firstnumerology and a second numerology different from the first numerology,wherein the second numerology includes a same sub-carrier spacing, asame symbol duration, and a same cyclic prefix (CP) length as a thirdnumerology of a second set of numerologies, wherein the second set ofnumerologies are predefined with a second range of carrier frequenciesdifferent from the first range of carrier frequencies, and wherein thesecond set of numerologies further include a fourth numerology, thefourth numerology being different from the first numerology anddifferent from the second numerology; and communicate a signal based onthe first numerology.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, the first range ofcarrier frequencies being for a first carrier, and the first indicationidentifying the first numerology for the first carrier.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 16, the programming further including instructionsto: receive a second indication identifying the second numerology for asecond carrier, wherein the apparatus is a user equipment (UE).
 18. Theapparatus of claim 15, wherein a first sub-carrier spacing of the firstnumerology is 30 kHz, and a second sub-carrier spacing of the secondnumerology is 60 kHz.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the firstindication explicitly indicates a value of the first sub-carrier spacingof the first numerology.
 20. The apparatus of claim 15, the firstindication identifying a first transmission time interval (TTI) lengthof the first numerology.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein thefirst TTI length is one of 3, 4, or 7 symbols.
 22. A base stationcomprising: at least one processor; and a computer readable storagemedium storing programming for execution by the at least one processor,the programming including instructions to: transmit a first indicationidentifying a first numerology of a first set of numerologies, whereinthe first set of numerologies are predefined with a first range ofcarrier frequencies, wherein the first set of numerologies include thefirst numerology and a second numerology different from the firstnumerology, wherein the second numerology includes a same sub-carrierspacing, a same symbol duration, and a same cyclic prefix (CP) length asa third numerology of a second set of numerologies, wherein the secondset of numerologies are predefined with a second range of carrierfrequencies different from the first range of carrier frequencies, andwherein the second set of numerologies further include a fourthnumerology, the fourth numerology being different from the firstnumerology and different from the second numerology; and communicate asignal based on the first numerology.
 23. The base station of claim 22,the first range of carrier frequencies being for a first carrier, andthe first indication identifying the first numerology for the firstcarrier.
 24. The base station of claim 23, the programming furtherincluding instructions to: transmit, to a user equipment (UE), a secondindication identifying the second numerology for a second carrier. 25.The base station of claim 22, wherein a first sub-carrier spacing of thefirst numerology is 30 kHz, and a second sub-carrier spacing of thesecond numerology is 60 kHz.
 26. The base station of claim 25, whereinthe first indication explicitly indicates a value of the firstsub-carrier spacing of the first numerology.
 27. The base station ofclaim 22, the first indication identifying a first transmission timeinterval (TTI) length of the first numerology.
 28. The base station ofclaim 27, wherein the first TTI length is one of 3, 4, or 7 symbols.